Also known as a janitor, a custodian is responsible for the cleaning of buildings and the immediate surrounding areas of particular setups. They work in schools, offices, hospitals, and other facilities. In addition to ensuring that buildings are consistently cleaned and restored to their original condition, they also carry out facilities checks to ensure compliance with health and safety standards.
This article will serve as an in-depth guide to the custodian role, outlining job duties, key requirements, average salaries, among other relevant aspects.
Custodian Job Description
Custodians are responsible for cleaning and sanitizing and also maintaining a building or a facility in other aspects. As well as contributing to the overall upkeep of sites, custodians are tasked with cleaning, collecting rubbish, scrubbing toilets, and correcting minor problems. This is an active position with the possibility of starting early, finishing late, or working during allied weekends depending on the business and its hours.
It is critical that the custodians are painstaking, assertive, and self-sufficient. Most importantly, they need to be well versed in cleaning materials and equipment along with different maintenance processes in order to be successful in job performance. Some custodians also oversee the expendable stock and make arrangements for those aspects that need higher attention.
Resume Description for a Custodian Position.
When making a CV for a custodian position, make sure to highlight any relevant experiences, attention to detail as well as the ability to use cleaning and other maintenance tools. Quite a description follows:
“I am a competent and honest custodian with over [X years] experience in cleaning chores. I can handle repairing as well as cleaning equipment, maintaining general health and safety requirements. An individual who is able to organize themselves and their tasks efficiently to perform a range of duties while keeping the place clean and tidy and welcoming people”
Feel free to adjust details to better match your experience!
Salary (Based Range in USA)
Custodian range salaries are based on the geographic market for custodians, the industry segmentation and for custodians with specific amounts of experience. Here are some indicative figures regarding custodian salaries in the USA:
- Average Annual Salary: $25,000 – $40,000
- Top Earners: In high-cost areas or specialized facilities, custodians can make $45,000 or more.
- Entry-Level Custodian: Starting salaries generally range from $20,000 to $25,000 per year
The salary scale may also be influenced by unionization factors which are quite likely to yield much higher salaries and other benefits in particular for government and educational administrators.
Responsibilities
The work of custodians encompasses various duties with the primary goal of ensuring cleanliness and functionality. Here are some common duties:
- Cleaning and Sanitizing: Sweeping, mopping, dusting, vacuuming, and disinfecting all areas of a facility, inclusive of offices and restrooms as well as public areas of a structure.
- Trash Management: Disposing of wastebaskets, throwing away wastes, and replacing liners.
- Restroom Maintenance: Replenishing the restroom supply, cleaning restroom fixtures, bathrooms, and restrooms making sure they are always in a functional and clean state.
- Minor Repairs: Hanging light fixtures, doing some plumbing jobs, and making known bigger repair problems to the maintenance crew.
- Floor Care: The floors will be waxed, buffed, and deep cleaned when necessary and as dictated by the policy of the facility.
- Outdoor Upkeep: Cleaning building perimeters by removing snow, dry leaves, and any other rubbish along footpaths, sidewalks, furthers cleaning the building perimeter.
- Inventory Management: Monitoring unused cleaning items, buying more when the amount of supply is low, and informing the Management on what supplies are necessary.
- Health and Safety: Finally, throughout this procedure, all cleaning methods should be held within protocol, e.g. the use of non – toxic cleaning materials is advisable to staff as well as occupants of the building.
- Event Preparation: Setting up the premises by arranging chairs, tables, and other equipment, and pulling them down after the event is over
Qualifications
There are few formal education requirements for custodians. However, there are certain skills and certifications that can improve the competitiveness of candidates:
- Education: Although it is not typically required, a high school diploma or GED is preferred.
- Experience: It is common to find beginners in entry-level positions, but knowledge of cleaning and related activities will be an added advantage.
- Skills:
- Attention to Detail: Sweeping and cleaning operations must be conducted to a thorough standard, and all such tasks should be clearly good or outstanding.
- Time Management: Within one shift, determining the effectiveness one has in completing sub-tasks because there are many surface areas to be cleaned.
- Physical Stamina: Such position will require lifting, rapid pivots, prolonged standing, repetitive movements, or bending in various positions.
- Knowledge of Cleaning Products and Equipment: Knowledge and understanding of cleansing appliances, substances, and procedures regarding risks.
- Basic Maintenance Skills: Able to undertake simple repairs and identify simple problems that can escalate.
- Communication: Contact correctly to complain and work meaningfully with other team members.
FAQs
Q1: How do custodians and janitors differ?
These words are frequently used interchangeably but in some areas, custodians include simple housekeeping duties and minor maintenance as well and janitors perform clean up activities only.
Q2: Is a license required for custodians?
Most custodial positions do not require formal certification. In fact however, certification in safety in the workplace or cleaning of the carpets or the floor can be an added advantage.
Q3: Is custodial work strenuous?
Yes, custodial work is rather strenuous due to lifting, bending, and the nature of standing for long hours. Hence, physical endurance is a necessity in order to do well in this job area.
Q4: Is it possible to move up in the custodial hierarchy?
Yes, some custodians’ duties include supervising, being head custodians, or becoming facility managers with appropriate training afterwards.
Q5: Which industries employ custodial staff?
Several industries apart from each other employ custodians: educational institutions, health care centers and clinics, government and administrative offices, storage buildings and shops, and similar establishments.
Conclusion
The role of a custodian in the society and particularly the work of any cleaner or a maintenance issuing in any areas can never be underestimated. Custodians perform crucial tasks and rotational cleaning and maintenance work which requires wise techniques along with tremendous physical effort as well. For the people who are hard workers but more patronized towards details, havens for employment and possibilities for climbing up the facility management later hold custodial positions.